There are two things I've taken away from my reading of Murderous Mistral: that when Blanc uncovers a scorpion, his first reaction isn't to stomp on it as most people would, and that, at certain times of the year, Provence smells overwhelmingly of wild thyme. That's not much, is it?
For the most part, I did not find either the characters or the mystery to be standouts. The absolute best parts of the book were the descriptions of the countryside and of Blanc's inherited home. I perked up every time he started to do something with that old building. Compared to my almost non-existent interest in the mystery, I would've been much happier if this had been turned into a fixer-upper series on Home and Garden Television.
Of course, your mileage may definitely vary, and although I did have problems with the characters and the story, I found Murderous Mistral to be worth reading for the loving descriptions of Provence alone.
For the most part, I did not find either the characters or the mystery to be standouts. The absolute best parts of the book were the descriptions of the countryside and of Blanc's inherited home. I perked up every time he started to do something with that old building. Compared to my almost non-existent interest in the mystery, I would've been much happier if this had been turned into a fixer-upper series on Home and Garden Television.
Of course, your mileage may definitely vary, and although I did have problems with the characters and the story, I found Murderous Mistral to be worth reading for the loving descriptions of Provence alone.
